Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]
[graphic][merged small][subsumed][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

Memoir of

JOHN BRITTON, ESQ. F.S.A. M.R.S.L. &c. &c.

(With a Portrait.)

IN the history of literary industry, few instances will be found more impressively exemplary than the one we are about to record; for though not diversified with incident, or rendered attractive by adventure, it presents the instructive circumstance of intellectual energy working its way, unprepared by education, and unaided by patronage, from painful obscurity to honourable

eminence.

[1828.

bondage, he ventured to remonstrate both with his master and his uncle; but without effect, for neither was the task of labour remitted by the one, nor any consolation afforded by the other. At length, when there seemed little chance of recovery, the wine merchant thought proper to give up the indentures about half a year before the expiration of the term; and, as a further proof of his liberality, he presented the young man with two guineas, instead of the twenty, which had been stipulated for by agreement!

It must here be observed, that during Mr. JOHN BRITTON was born at Kington this subterraneous immurement, the apSt. Michael, in Wiltshire, in the month of prentice would occasionally steal half an July, 1771. His father carried on busi-hour in a morning, between seven and ness as a baker and maltster, with sufficient credit to support a family of ten children, till misfortunes, brought on by rivals in trade, and an improvident connexion with a dishonest miller, reduced him to poverty, and hurried him to the grave, where he was soon followed by his afflicted widow.

eight o'clock, to look at the sky, breathe a little fresh air, and visit two book-stalls in the vicinity of his prison cave. The rational food and medicine obtained from these sources, not only supported life, but furnished that information which enabled him to ascertain the seat of certain diseases, which had long preyed on his frame, and threatened his dissolution. The perusal of Cheselden's Anatomy, Quincy's Dispensatory, Buchan's Domestic Medicine, Tissot on Sedentary Diseases, Cornaro on Health, and other works of a like kind, had a salutary effect in regulating his mode of living, and inducing observation. At this period, various books of a serious, scientific, or amusing description, had been read by him, as Ray on the Creation, Derham's Astro and Physico Theology, Martin's Philosophical works; and the novels of Fielding and Smollet. All this miscellaneous reading was by candle-light in the cellar, and at occasional intervals only.

Previous to this calamity, John Britton, whose education had been limited to the scanty elements of reading, writing, and arithmetic, was sent, at about the age of fourteen, to a maternal uncle at London, who held some situation in the Chancery office; and by whom he was apprenticed for six years to a wine merchant. This tedious period of servitude, was dragged through as a lengthened and galling chain, severe enough of itself, but peculiarly so to a weak constitution, which was now greatly impaired by constant confinement in damp, murky cellars. Here his occupation was an incessant course of labour, without improvement; a continued round of the same employ, without any thing new to excite To compensate for the time thus abapplication, or amusement to relieve pre-stracted from systematic duties, the student sent fatigue. The porters in the business learnt as much as the apprentice; but their situation was preferable to his, for they enjoyed annual salaries, or weekly wages, to invigorate hope, and reward diligence; while to the articled drudge, there appeared no prospect of advancement beyond that of a servant; for which, however, by the decay of bodily health, he became daily disqualified. In this irksome and miserable

118.-VOL. X.

was compelled to labour with additional exertion, and to adopt the most rapid modes of performing his tasks. To bottle off, and cork a certain number of dozens of wine, was required for a day's work, and as this, by management, could be done in ten or eleven hours, three or four hours were left for reading. Though dissipation was hereby guarded against, of mental improvement there could be but little, in

31

875

Memoir of John Britton, Esq. F.S.A. y.

876

By writing an occasional essay for the Sporting Magazine, he became known to the late Mr. Wheble, the printer-and pro

Wiltshire, informed him that he had some years before undertaken to publish by subscription the Beauties of that county. Owing, however, to other engagements, the work was never proceeded with; but being desirous of redeeming his pledge, he now urged Mr. Britton to take it up, and complete the design. Though wholly unacquainted with topography, he consented, and entered upon a course of research necessary for the task on which he had embarked. This produced a renewal of the connexion with Mr. Brayley; and while the two friends were thus employed, they were induced by another bookseller, Mr. Hood of the Poultry, to compile the "Beauties of England and Wales." In order to qualify themselves the better for this important undertaking, they resolved, very judiciously, to make pedestrian excursions in different parts of the kingdom. This plan they carried into execution in the summer and autumn of 1799, by perambulating the whole of North Wales, and returning through Cheshire to the metropolis.

course so vague and desultory, without a literary friend, able and willing to impart information, and to give salutary advice. Towards the termination of his appren-prietor, who, on hearing he was a native of ticeship, however, young Britton had the good fortune, in his morning walks, to become acquainted with a watch-face painter named Essex, who, being fond of books, and of a communicative disposition, gladly encouraged the same turn in others. The intimacy with this practical philosopher was cultivated to advantage, not only in the acquisition of books, but in the proper application of the knowledge they imparted. The shop of Mr. Essex was resorted to by intelligent men, with some of whom, Mr. Britton, at the outset of life, formed an acquaintance, particularly the late Dr. Joseph Towers and Mr. Edward Brayley. The former, from being a journeyman printer, had already raised himself to literary distinction; and the latter, though articled to a mechanical trade, was extremely ardent for knowledge. He read with avidity, and early evinced talents for composition, both in prose and verse. A congeniality of taste soon ripened into friendship, and it is a curious fact, that a partnership was entered into between Mr. Britton and Mr. Brayley, for the publication of a ballad, or song, written by the latter, and entitled "The Guinea Pig." This piece was allusive to the tax on wearing hair powder; and though slight enough in point of poetical merit, the subject made it popular. Many thousands, printed on a fine wire-wove paper, were sold at one penny each; but though entered at Stationer's hall, it was pirated by a noted publisher of such small wares, named Evans, who boasted that he had circulated above 70,000 copies of the ballad, printed on common paper.

Great events, it is said, spring from little causes; two large rivers in the west of England, arise under a bush in a desolate waste, and after meandering along in a gentle current for some miles, diverge at last, and, taking different directions, swell into magnificent streams, on whose banks towns of great commercial importance flourish, and on whose bosom ships of vast burden float in majestic dignity. Thus, we perceive that a number of works which now rank high in architectural and topographical literature, may be traced to the publication of an ephemeral ballad. For the present, however, the association did not augur such effects; and Mr. Britton, little thinking of authorship as a profession, engaged in different employments, sometimes as clerk to a wine merchant, and at others to an attorney.

The Beauties of Wiltshire came out the year following, and then the great work commenced with the account of Bedfordshire. The necessity of personal observation being now obvious, Mr. Britton visited many parts of that county, as well as Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, transmitting his church notes and other memoranda to his coadjutor in town. As the work proceeded, Mr. Brayley travelled over Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Durham, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kent, and other counties; while Devonshire, Cornwall, Essex, Hampshire, Wilts, Dorset, and Northampton, were visited by Mr. Britton. In addition to these surveys, other persons were employed to inspect the midland, northern, and eastern counties.

At the outset, some difference arose between the publisher and editors, on the manner in which the descriptive part should be executed; the former wishing to confine the Beauties wholly to gentlemen's seats and picturesque scenery, omitting antiquities and natural curiosities, which the conductors were for introducing. Under these circumstances, two other works arose in the hands of different publishers, one entitled, "The Architectural Antiquities," edited by Mr. Britton; and the other, "The Antiquarian and Topographical Cabinet," by Mr. Brayley. The Architectural Antiquities were nine years and two months in pro

gress, and extended to four quarto volumes, comprising two hundred and seventy-eight engravings, and a large body of letter-press. This work, which cost the proprietors more than eight thousand pounds, was intended to be, what it chiefly is, a miscellaneous collection of views of ancient buildings, with a few plans, sections, and elevations.

By way of supplement to this valuable work, the author published a volume entitled, "A Chronological History, and Graphic Illustrations of Christian Architecture in England," with eighty-six engravings. Speaking of this performance, an ingenious critic in the Literary Gazette says, "We observe that Mr. Britton is desirous of giving a new name to the style which his work is intended to elucidate, and to call it Christian Architecture, as being more apposite than the commonly received appellation of Gothic. That Gothic is not an appropriate term, we acknowledge; but that Christian is an entirely correct one to supersede it, we do not feel convinced. The architecture of the middle ages was of extreme variety, and these the author endeavours to comprehend under five divisions, rejecting the Tedesca of Vasari, the Gottica of Palladio, the Gothic and Saracenic of Wren, the short-lived English of the Antiquarian Society, the round-arched Saxon, and the larger Norman, the Plantagenet, and all the varieties of these styles. But our impression is, that no generic name can comprehend the multitude of manners, which mark different periods of our architecture, and that we must be content to recognize them either by centuries or particular qualities; it may be eras, as British, Roman, Saxon, Danish, Norman; or it may be dates, of the reign of William or Edward; or it may be style, circular, pointed, plain, decorated, &c.: but in truth, the edifices must be defined to be understood, and every term yet invented as a general term, is of necessity vague and unintelligible. For ourselves, we believe that every original style of architecture was produced by copying after the forms of rude natural materials; Grecian capitals from sacrificial horns, and wreaths of flowers; pointed as well as round arches, from plants bent into bowers, or arbour temples; round windows from flowers, columns and clustered pillars from single or united stems, the fluted column perhaps from fasciculi of sticks: and that thus the same first simple styles may have originated, not each in one country, but in many; and that the distinctive alterations afterwards made may perhaps be fixed by antiquarian research, but the beginning never."

We have extracted this curious disquisition for the sake of a remark or two on the subject. Agreeing with the reviewer that the appellation Christian Architecture is not strictly appropriate, we are still of opinion that a generic name might properly be given to this species of architecture, and that is the Oriental, for whoever has glanced at the views of Hodges and other draughtsmen, must be satisfied that the pointed arch, and most of the distinctions of the kind of building called Gothic, originated in that region, where the banyantree, no doubt, gave the idea of long-drawn aisles, and high-imbowered roofs, to keep out the scorching rays of the sun. It should also be observed, that no less a man than bishop Warburton advanced the very principle here suggested, in regard to the fluted columns and round arches, though the learned prelate was not acquainted with the style of architecture prevalent in Hin doostan.

The reviewer, in a subsequent paragraph, says, that "wicker work and wood were probably almost the sole materials employed in church building, till the time of the Norman conquest." This is partly true, but not wholly so; but it is surprising, that a writer, in treating this subject, should not have noticed so ordinary a book as Staveley's History of Churches, where the figure of a wicker building of the kind here stated, is given from Spelman's Annals, and said to have existed at Glastonbury. That the first churches were of this humble character, we readily believe; but it is cer tain, that long before the Norman conquest, a style of superior elegance prevailed in this kingdom.

On completing the Architectural Antiquities, our indefatigable author, whose spirit of research expanded with his acquisitions and application, began a kindred work, under the title of "The Cathedral Antiquities of England." Both publications were expressly devoted to the same subject, and jointly tended to illustrate the arts, customs, and religious and civil peculiarities of our ancestors, in their various stages of progressive civilization and refinement. Of the cathedrals, ten have already been published, and the rest are in preparation. In the letter-press of these works, the author has given a condensed and perspicuous narrative of all the principal events connected with each sacred edifice; pointed out the different styles, eras, and characteristic features of the architecture, besides adding biographical anecdotes of the prelates, with lists of the several dignitaries.

In connexion with these splendid eccle

« ZurückWeiter »